


Broken Bones

by Obsidial (orphan_account)



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dehumanization, Gore, Kidnapping, Restraints, Revenge, Slavery, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-05-23 00:08:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 19
Words: 15,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6098421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Obsidial
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sans remembers the genocide run. Frisk pays for it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The painful tugging on their limbs woke them.  
They opened their eyes, and finding that nothing had changed, began to panic. Why was it all so dark?  
Where were they?  
Fear struck them, cold, it oozed through their skin, stiffening their bones and joints and making it impossible to breathe. Blinking rapidly, they struggled, thrashing, only to find themselves lying on their back, chained to a cold surface. 

Voice cracking from disuse, they managed to let out a low croak before something touched their cheek.  
Frightened eyes glanced upwards, body helpless to move, only to be met by a pair of white glimmers, sunken in pools of darkness.  
“Morning, kiddo.”  
Frisk let out a startled wheeze. Their struggles were renewed as a bony hand squeezed their cheek, almost affectionately… but not quite.  
The skeleton let out a bemused chuckle. “Let me guess, you’re wondering why I’ve got you all chained down in here, aren’t you?”  
Frisk only struggled more. A loud clattering rang out as they felt something warm and tingly wrap around their writhing limbs, slamming them hard down onto the table. Their eyes opened, dazed, to find Sans directly above them, his voice harsh and grating like cold steel.  
“I have a bone to pick with you. A skele-ton. Remember the time you killed all of us?”  
The human’s pupils shrunk in fear, unable to get away as the skeleton leaned in closer, happily devouring their fear. 

Oh, they remembered.

Of course, they remembered.

“No use hiding, kiddo. I’m going to get it out of you one way or another.”  
He poked them in the chest, the sweater dipping easily under the bony phalanges.

“Your soul, that is.”  
The skeleton gave a mocking, reassuring grin, twirling a small bone between their fingers.   
“Don't struggle and it won't hurt as much.”

Frisk let out a scream, hoping anyone would come for them. If they remembered correctly, Papyrus also lived here, but then again, that was under the assumption they were in their house. No matter, they were certain only Sans remembered the resets and anyone else would be friendly.  
Unable to speak, they looked up at the skeleton with tearful eyes. They hadn’t done anything wrong in this timeline! Why wouldn’t he let them go?  
They shook their head vigorously, crying soundlessly as the skeleton’s fingers prodded them gently.  
“Scared, sweetheart?”  
They nodded weakly, hoping it would help somehow. They watched the monster run his hands down their body. Sans smirked at the answer, obviously satisfied. The hand stopped moving, positioned towards the left of their stomach.  
“Good, you should be.”  
Sharp pain lanced through their body and Frisk cried out, beginning to struggle anew. Sans laughed and drew back, his hand falling away to reveal to end of a white hot bone that impaled the young human child through the abdomen.  
Frisk squirmed and whimpered upon seeing it. Their cries grew in volume as the bone burned into the surrounding flesh, creating the sensation of never ending pain.  
“Welp, I think that’s that for today.”  
The skeleton shrugged and eyed the bone that remained protruding from the human’s flesh. Sans winked, making finger guns at them as he walked out the door.  
“Heed my advice and go to sleep. You’ll femur better in the morning.”  
Frisk only continued to cry, eventually passing out in a fit of exhaustion and pain later on in the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's wrong.

The bone was still there when they woke up late the next morning. Of course, they didn’t know that, but judging by the way they felt…  
Frisk let out a startled sob as a fresh wave of pain lanced through their body, brought on by the mere movement of one of their fingers.   
Where was Sans?  
Why had he done this?  
With a whimper of surrender, they allowed their entire body to relax, hoping that it would ease the terrible pain slightly. Closing their eyes, Frisk tried to return to sleep, crying softly.

It hurt.

Maybe thinking about something else would help. They thought about Toriel, whom had been so kind. They thought about Papyrus, so sweet and innocent despite his age. Then there was Sans…   
They remembered the genocide run, only bits and pieces, mind you, but they did remember the more… disturbing parts. They remembered being coated in layers and layers of fine dust, like sand, but silkier. It had felt good to feel it slip between their fingers, cold and soft and smooth.   
Then they remembered a hall awash in golden light, the distant sound of bells ringing out and reverberating through their very bones.  
Bones.  
Bones raining down upon them, forming labyrinths and pillars, bridges and platforms, all seeking to impale, rip, tear, lacerate-   
There were blasters too, their deadly grins, beams incinerating all in their path and lighting their lupine skulls with a cyan glow.  
Sans had wasted no time in turning them into ashes over and over again. He hadn’t hesitated to tear their mortal body to shreds.   
Frisk remembered him smiling.   
They had killed his brother. They were a dirty brother killer.  
Had they deserved it?

Frisk eased themselves to one side slightly, then the other, trying to see just how painful it was. They immediately regretted their decision, gagging from the pain and trying not to vomit.   
They lay their head down and breathed as gently as they could. 

Eventually, Sans returned. 

This time, they begged. Pitifully, weakly and trying to get the monster to release them. They didn’t much care if Sans left them bleeding and hurt, with only a couple measly HP in the alleyways. They just wanted to be free.  
“Let you go?” The monster scoffed and his perpetual grin faltered slightly. “Do you have any idea what its like out there right now? If I let you go, you’d be dead in hours.”

Frisk froze, then shook their head in misunderstanding. What was he talking about? They had gone out there before, everyone was friendly.   
“Believe me, you don’t want to be out there. Even Grillby’s gone. This is the only place that entertains me now. I guess you could say we’re kind of, snowdin.”  
Sans paused to revel in his own pun before glancing back at the human child with a shrug, eye beginning to burn cyan blue.  
“Probably means more bad time for you, hm?”

Frisk screamed their throat raw for hours afterwards. The skeleton gagged them and finally left them on the verge of consciousness, sharp bones impaling their heaving chest to the bloody table.


	3. Chapter 3

The days bled into each other.  
Without any indication of time, Frisk lay dazed and groggy for weeks on end, not knowing time’s passage.  
What they did realise though was that the restraints were incredibly rusty, and when they had the strength to, struggling made them wiggle and chip. Sans hadn’t come in a while, they thought as they weakly tugged at their wrists. The bones dug painfully into their flesh and they gasped, writhed. Frisk squeezed their eyes tightly shut, trying to stop the tears from coming and biting down on the gag.  
With a final jerk and a pained wheeze through the gag, they tore one of their wrists free.  
Raising it weakly above their head so they could see it, it flopped down again.   
A stifled gasp, laugh escaped them.  
It filled them with determination.  
Perhaps an hour had passed, maybe a day. But soon enough, they were working their last ankle out of the cuffs. With a grunt and a crack, they pulled free and eased themselves into a sitting position.   
Letting out a weak laugh of triumph, they lay down in a fit of exhaustion. 

Dark.   
Everything was dark.   
Dim eyes glowed a sickly orange as they did rarely.   
Tucking his knees to his chest, long bony legs folded.   
Papyrus shuffled closer to the only source of light in the small cell, and even it was burning dimly. He didn't know how many of them were in there, but it was freezing and the complete population of Snowdin was packed into the tiny cell, huddled around the unconscious fire monster that lay in the center, providing to and receiving warmth from those around him.   
The skeleton glanced over, feeling sorry for him. He had despised his settlement for its greasy food and smells, he had despised it because Sans had opted to waste time there rather than do puzzles with him, but now, the cold and fatigue had managed to weaken Grillby to the point of passing out and he didn't seem to want to wake up anytime soon.   
Would they care if he just dusted there and then?  
Although he hated to think of it, perhaps not, humans simply weren't as kind as Frisk.   
It had been days since the humans had come down the hole, tear their way through the ruins and reach Snowdin, where every monster they could find was caught and put somewhere. Papyrus didn't know where they were, but the thing was… 

He hadn't seen Sans. 

Where was his brother?

He was interrupted as a child began to cry somewhere. It was difficult to tell who. There was a weak yipping noise and a shuffle, a muzzled greater dog moved into view, calming the rabbit child quickly. It had taken custody of most of the children. Many of the parents had either dusted, or were missing.   
All of them wore collars, all of them chained. It was obvious the humans had been prepared for this, but the skeleton couldn't even begin to fathom why. Either way, they weren't headed anywhere good.   
Minutes passed, they stretched into what seemed like hours. Until finally, there was a sharp hiss, a crackling noise. The skeleton looked over to see glowing white eyes slip open, a mouth of jagged teeth and flame stretch to gasp at the air and a flame reignite.   
Too weak to lift the heavy stone that collared him, Grillby stayed unmoving. His voice crackled softly.   
_“...Did anyone get away?”_  
Someone answered that a couple had escaped and the fire monster visibly relaxed, it seemed the very hope that some had escaped was already comforting. The skeleton frowned, watching the elemental shift. Judging by the sound of his voice, it was obvious he was in pain.   
Despite knowing brief hope, they all knew what was going to happen next. The humans would sweep through the underground and do what they had done to them. Even now, Papyrus could hear the faint whirring of Whimsuns in a cell nearby, the croak of Froggits. The humans had gone through the ruins, they'd gone through Snowdin, they'd go through waterfall. 

Now Papyrus couldn't help but be worried. 

The glow of Grillby’s fire had begun to flicker weakly, he looked about to extinguish. It seemed the very effort of talking had exhausted him. There was a quiet shout and someone pushed through the tight crowd.   
A monster had fallen, bleeding from numerous wounds, their hope was fading quickly.   
Papyrus watched helplessly, he knew there was nothing they could do now.   
Seeing the others occupied with the fallen one, Papyrus stood, ducking his head to avoid hitting the low ceiling and making his way over to the small crowd of the injured huddled beside Grillby.   
He could mend broken bones easily enough, might as well make himself useful. He pushed away his own fear and approached.  
“DO NOT BE AFRAID. I CAN HELP YOU.”  
They recognised him. Of course they did. Who wouldn't know the Great Papyrus?  
In a short span of time he had helped heal the broken bones of five different monsters, then splinted the swollen ankle of another.   
He turned his attention to the fire elemental after that.   
Grillby looked worse than before. Spots of silvery black showed through his dying flames.   
The humans had done something, something bad and Papyrus felt fear grow in his heart. 

He didn't know what to do. 

What would Sans do?

Maybe there was something he could give him to keep the fire going? He himself had nothing on him, but a few minutes of asking around rewarded him with a small pile of shredded paper scraps, tissues and even a couple of wood chips picked from the tangled fur of the lesser dog (It had obviously been scratching itself against or with a tree).   
The others were more than happy to help, the bartender was well known, and not only was he a good soul, but their only source of light and warmth.  
Gently, slowly, they brought the dying embers back to life, the flame devouring the tiny offerings hungrily.   
Minutes later and the fire monster was already burning brighter, recovering, albeit slowly.  
Papyrus brushed the stone collar with the tips of his phalanges. Immediately, a small spark of magic travelled through and up his arm. He jerked back in surprise and flexed his numb fingers.   
What had they done to him?  
What were they going to do to them?


	4. Chapter 4

 

Grillby watched the scene around him. He was so very cold, having just regained consciousness. His flames guttered, their crackles soft and weak. Behind him, he could feel the faint magic of Papyrus, it grew stronger, then stopped as it hovered over his neck, the younger of the skeleton brothers hesitating as he looked at the engraved band. 

The elemental could feel it, heavy and pressing down on him, pinning him to the ground. It was fireproof too. Once he had mustered the strength, he wheezed out a question. 

“... _ are you alright, Papyrus?” _

The skeleton made a startled noise, hands jerking back from the collar. He made his way into Grillby’s view. 

“I’M SORRY. I DIDN’T MEAN TO HURT YOU OR ANYTHING!”

He listened to the skeleton apologise feverently, slowly gathering his strength to talk again. The collar was sapping away his energy through a means he had seen only a very long time ago. 

“ _ It's quite alright… Are you… Hurt…?” _

The skeleton shifted uncomfortably, and in his own glow, Grillby spotted faint cracks crisscrossing his bones, but that seemed to be the extent of his injuries. Perhaps his docile nature had finally saved him. 

His eyes drifted to the skeleton’s neck. Papyrus’s collar was on loosely, leather. They had obviously not seen him as much of a threat. 

Himself on the other hand… He had done enough to warrant a heavy beating and an enchanted collar.

He had fought in the great war, he knew how the humans fought and still had nightmares of those times.

He had stayed back to buy time for others to reach waterfall. Even if he had the opportunity, he wouldn’t have been able to cross waterfall anyways, not in such a heated rush. He figured that guarding its entrance would be a better way to make himself useful.

He burned down any that dared come close enough, and soon, they stopped, staying a distance off and glancing at him warily. He had become fatigued. By the end of the hour, they had captured him without much trouble. Sure he had put up a fight, but it was a futile one and the second the collar had clamped down, all of his will to fight, as well as his energy was gone.

They attacked him whilst he was helpless and with a meagre five HP, he had passed out not long after. When he awoke, he was in the cell with all the others.

He knew nothing good awaited them and he had seen what humans would and could do to them. He didn’t want any of the others to be subjected to their cruelty.

“GRILLBY?”

He lifted his chained hands weakly and pushed at the collar, hoping it would ease the discomfort. He winced as it bit and the pain was evident in his voice.

“... _ yes, Papyrus? _ ”

“YOU.... I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SAY THIS… BUT...”

The skeleton scratched his skull, the manacles clinking as he moved. His look was apologetic, yet concerned. He could hear the pain, Grillby knew. He'd worry much too much for his own good. 

“...YOU DO NOT LOOK WELL.”

The elemental’s eyes softened as much as they could. The skeleton had always been so sweet.

“... _ I am alright, you should not worry so much for me. There are others that require assistance more than I do. _ ”

Papyrus’s eyes widened at his words and Grillby winced, he had not meant to frighten him.

“ARE YOU HURT? WHERE? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING?”

Part of that was due to the fact that he had been unconscious, but he knew Papyrus was only worried for him. Knowing he wouldn’t be let alone until he appeased him, Grillby sighed and lifted his head, showing a gash across his throat that had only been further aggravated by the collar.

As a fire elemental, it was nothing he couldn’t fix, but it would take time. Time he didn’t have.

The wound exposed to air, he shuddered in pain. He hadn’t noticed it before due to the sheer panic of the situation, but now that he felt it, it hurt.

“MAY I….?”

Papyrus reached over, Grillby gave a small nod and tried to minimise the heat of his flame there. 

There was a shuffle and his gloves dropped beside the elemental’s head. 

Now bony phalanges probed at the wound. A trickle of dark fluid stained the bony fingers and Papyrus drew back. 

“HOW DO I HELP YOU? THAT MUST HURT.”

“ _ I have had worse.”  _ He replied simply. “ _ Do you have healing magic?” _

“I DO NOT KNOW HOW TO FIX FIRE… I WILL GET HELP.”

Determination flashed in his eyes and he was off. Grillby sighed and lapsed into his normal silence. Ignoring it as someone edged closer, seeking the heat he gave. He willed his flames higher, then satisfied, shut his eyes to wait. 

Somewhere, a child wailed. 

 

They were out. 

Out there again with cold snow crunching under their feet, cold seeping into their skin and flesh. Frisk cried out as something twanged. They quickly clapped a hand over their mouth to stifle the scream and backed into a corner; the alley just beside Grillby’s, clutching their bloody wounds. They collapsed against the wall, breathing hard, their mind spun with a mix of delirium, exhaustion and pure, unadulterated joy. 

_ They were free.  _

They'd have to get out of Snowdin, get to waterfall. Undyne would be there and they'd already befriended her in this run. They reassured themselves. It was going to be alright. 

But first, they'd need to rest briefly. 

Dragging themselves to their feet, they sprinted past Grillby’s. 

They stopped. 

Peering into the doorway, the bar was lit, but empty. 

Frisk squinted. There had always been a crowd at Grillby’s. But now, even the fiery bartender was absent. Maybe they were… Elsewhere?

The inn was visited next. 

Vacant. 

They ran past and arrived at the shop run by the bunny woman.

Once again, vacant. 

Despite the growing pain in their body, they forced themselves onwards, bleeding until they'd searched the whole of Snowdin. 

There was no one here. 

Their mind spun, they didn't know what to do. Where was everyone? 

They could feel dread begin to crawl from their stomach. 

Frisk took a shaky step forwards. Their determination had pumped adrenaline through their veins, but now the pain came and it hurt. 

A cough behind them. 

They turned only to feel something grip their soul and drag it to the ground. A wheeze and cry filled their lungs as they slammed against the ground painfully. Tears sprung from their eyes. 

“Hey there, you look lost. You lost, kiddo?”

Crunch. Crunch. 

Slippers. 

Sans bent down, an unamused expression crossing his face. 

“You must be so scared, all alone out here. Why don't you come with me? I'll take good care of you.”

Frisk looked at him as they were lifted, then opening their mouth, they screamed. Loudly. 

A set of bony phalanges caught their face, and moving down, squeezed their throat. 

A gasp escaped them and they squirmed gainfully as Sans began walking back to the house Frisk recognized as theirs. It was becoming difficult to breathe and frisk let out a high pitched keening noise, kicking and fighting. Sans stopped, suddenly, clamped a hand down over Frisk’s mouth to gag them and then they were gone. 

The last thing Frisk saw before magic enveloped them was a chained and beaten Undyne, yellow eyes catching sight of them and widening in shock before being dragged along by a group of humans, fighting the whole way. 


	5. Chapter 5

 

They had been moved in the night when they had been sleeping. Called awake loudly by their captors, chains were attached to individuals and they were led out, sometimes several at a time to who knew where. Those who resisted were weakened to the point of helplessness, then dragged away. 

 

Papyrus stayed huddled in a corner. He hadn't found someone to help Grillby, and they were two of the few remaining. He'd be taken away soon, and if they were separated…

He looked over at him, he was curled up and shivering, leaning against the wall in his chains. They had helped prop him up the night before, but he seemed to only be becoming worse. 

He didn't know if the fire elemental would survive much longer with a wound like that. 

He himself was already healing. The cracks across his bones sealing up and disappearing. He shivered as the bunny who had owned the inn was chained, then promptly led away. 

He barely registered it as a chain latched onto his own collar, and he was tugged to his feet. He cast a final glance at the weak fire monster before he was led down the hall. He passed countless numbers of cells, each holding a different, or a small group of monsters. He was led to a cell not yet filled and pushed in. He didn't resist as the human yanked the chain down to make him sit, then attached it to a hoop buried deeply in the wall the human left, the door clattered shut. 

Papyrus stood warily, the chain pulled taut and yanked him back. He crashed to the ground in a startled heap. 

Too tired to continue, he closed his eyes and curled up on the ground, whimpering. 

He hoped peace would come with sleep. 

 

Frisk made no more noise, hitting the ground with a dull thud as Sans dropped them. The moment they were released, they rolled over and began to sign frantically.

_ Sans please! _

The skeleton barely acknowledged them and a rack of bones sprang from the ground to encircle them. Frisk howled in pain as they touched the white-hot surfaces, any intention to try and communicate sprung from their mind. 

“Shut up, kiddo.”

Sans growled threateningly, mind seemingly elsewhere.

“If it weren’t for you this would never have happened.”

Frisk raised a hand weakly, signing out with the last of their strength.

_...Let me help, please. _

Their hand dropped and they lay still, chest rattling in pain. Sans barked a laugh and the bones disappeared. 

“You want to help?”

Frisk turned their head ever so slightly, a glimmer of hope appearing in their eyes. Sans smirked and approached. 

“...Start screaming while I kill you. I'll end it quickly.”

Frisk’s eyes widened and they shook their head frantically, stopping as fatigue and pain took over their body. 

Now that they had seen what was happening to their friends, they couldn't afford to die. They signed desperately. 

_ No! I'm a human right? They'd catch you too, but they'd ignore me!  _

_ I can help you get them back- _

Frisk shrieked, helpless, as Sans dug his bony fingers into one of the pre-existing wounds, tearing into the flesh. The skeleton snatched their neck, holding them up in a choking grip.

“Hey kiddo...”

His eye sockets hollow, he brought them close.

“What makes you think that I want them back? What makes you think there’s any  _ hope _ of getting them back? They’re  _ gone _ kiddo and this time, even your determination can’t get them back.”

Sans squeezed their windpipe, Frisk kicked weakly once more and passed out.


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey! You! Wake up!”

He stirred, the violent shaking forcing him to regain consciousness. Who could be so loud?

Webbed claws against his tattered shirt, he hastingly lowered the heat of his flame. 

He glanced up to find another monster. They were the only ones in the tiny cell. He must've fallen asleep before she was brought here. 

Yellow eyes and a jagged sharp toothed grimace met his gaze and something was abruptly shoved in his face. 

“I'm guessing this is for you?”

Grillby nodded tentatively and raised both chained hands, taking the wooden log from her. He burned it slowly, feeling it fuel his flames. He blinked himself into awareness, just to hear her snarl again. 

“Hurry up, then melt the damn chains off! We need to get out of here before they reach Hotland...”

Her voice tapered off towards the end and Grillby finished the wood, grimacing. It had been wet. 

“You done?”

She held out her wrists as he nodded. He knew the collar was preventing him from using his magic. He knew she was desperate. Might as well try. 

He focused and pressed his palms to the metal, spreading his hands as far as his chains would let him. 

His hands burned white for half a second, then the heat faded almost as quickly as it had came and he fell back, gasping. White liquid bubbled from his multitude of injuries and he edged away. It would burn her if she came into contact with it.  

_ “... Haaaa…” _

He panted, closing his eyes to rest. It felt as though water was trickling down his body in thin rivulets. It hurt everywhere, sharply only in some places. He barely registered the hissing as his  _ blood  _ pooled on the stone, burning holes into the floor.

Something touched him gently, claws digging gently into his ethereal body, they eased him to the floor.

Grillby’s eyes opened ever so slightly and he gave a feeble, grateful nod.

She was looking less fired up, her eyes had taken on a softer tone as she began to realise his predicament.

The full extent of his injuries was alarming, but he knew there were others that had suffered much worse than him.

He hadn’t the right to complain.

Shifting, he stretched out his arms and rolled over, laying his head on them and making sure he wasn’t taking up too much space. Her touch had been cold, though, and he figured, his heat might be welcome.

As expected, she edged closer and closer, but by then he was already barely conscious, eyes watching the drying trickle of molten lava as it hissed against the stone.

He gave up trying to keep awake. If anything was going to happen, it would happen whether he was aware of it or not. Letting out a deep sigh, he shut his eyes and went to sleep. 

 

 

_ Sanssss…. _

Frisk’s movements were slow and jerky. They were weak with hunger and pain.

_ Saaaansss… _

Their eyes dull with the pain of their latest session, they lifted their hand weakly once more. 

_ S-Sansss… _

They fell to the table, chest heaving with a coughing fit that was released against a gag. They sniffled weakly. They had tried to reason with him, now they were too weak to even do that. Moreover, he was ignoring them. 

Sans glanced at them dismissively. A part of him told him that he was doing something wrong. Another part was filled with euphoria. He supposed it was nice that the kid couldn't talk. All he had to do was not look their way and they wouldn't be bothering him. 

There was a dull thunk and he turned to find Frisk unconscious. 

Welp, that was convenient.

But they did have a point...

He debated the idea. He couldn’t hide down here forever. Soon enough, he’d run out of supplies and the place would be swarming with humans. He had to find a way to get out of this mess and the kid could be his only chance.

Besides, their screams had begun to ring dull in his ears. 

He was growing bored all over again.

He moved towards the unconscious child, gently tousling their hair with his bony fingers. Leaning in, he examined them through narrowed eye sockets.

“...What  _ can  _ you do for me, kiddo?”

 

 

_ Years seemed to pass as he stood in the hall, awash in gold. _

_ Leaning against the massive skull that hovered beside him, he waited for the child to reappear. It was smooth and hot, still glowing the heat it had taken to fry the child, but he knew he'd have to do it over and over and over again. They appeared so many times after that. Every time, framed by the harsh glow of the save point so far away.  _

_ Squinting, Sans stood and readied himself for another round. _

  
  
  
  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow, I didn't actually expect to get comments or kudos on this. Thanks everyone!

Heavy restraints pressing him down to the ground, he waited for them to make a move. He couldn't see who they were, didn't know what they were going to do, but their souls flickered, bright and almost sterile. A rough yank of the chain around his neck brought him to one side of the room, it was fastened to the ground and he stared blankly at the wall, glowing from his fire.

He knew from experience that resisting would do him no good. So he didn't move. 

Something pressed down on his neck, cold and sharp. He bit back a cry of pain as he was made to lie on his side. Immediately, he was assailed by dozens of cold points, all poking and prodding in what seemed to be a thorough examination of him. 

He tried his best not to squirm, knowing it would be for the best. 

He managed to hold this until the points were taken away, and what felt like cold, hard hands pressed down onto him. They sank through, parting the flames of his exterior before working their way into the hotter, more solid fire of his core. 

Oh god. That hurt. 

His scream came in a crackling hiss. 

Immediately, the hold around his neck tightened and he was pressed down more firmly. 

Thick metal fingers groped his core, making him struggle on impulse, he hissed, the jagged line that was his mouth exposing itself. 

His body writhed, flames growing hotter until something was brought close, a hissing noise and it burned even more. 

Water. 

He forced himself to look away, hiding his glare as the hand continued, the flames it had been submerged in now much cooler. It probed, inching closer to the heart that kept him together. It dug into the most sensitive, most tender of places, leaving him so exhausted it was all he could do not to pass out. 

Eyes shut and panting, he waited for it to end. 

 

Papyrus crossed his legs and leaned against the back of his cell, playing with his phalanges quietly. 

He was bored. 

He stole a glance towards the cell opposite.  

To his disappointment, the froggit it contained was asleep. Or probably was. It was hard to tell.

It wouldn't do much for conversation. 

“HELLO?”

He called tentatively. When there was no hostile answer or reaction, he tried again. 

“HELLO? IS ANYONE THERE?”

He waited a few seconds. There was a faint reply. 

“ _ P...rus? _

He strained to pick it up. He called again.

“HELLO?”

“ _ PAPYRUS?! _ ”

His heart leapt, there was someone there!

“UNDYNE! IS THAT YOU? IS ANYONE ELSE WITH YOU?

“ _ YEAH! THEY TOOK HIM AWAY THOUGH. I THINK THEY’LL BRING HIM BACK LATER. _ ”

Before he had the chance to ask who it was, footsteps rang out. Both of them immediately knew to shut up. Papyrus lowered his head, slumping against the wall. He hoped the human (or humans) hadn’t heard them. Even he knew how dire their situation was and his characteristic enthusiasm was completely gone. 

He was walking slowly, footsteps steady, murmuring something that Papyrus could only just hear from where he was. 

“Eat, you filthy animals.”

The skeleton flinched as he passed. He moved to poke at the soggy  piece of who knew what that lay on the ground only after he was gone.

He didn’t want to eat. He pushed it into the corner of his small cell and left it. He waited for another few days before he regained the courage to try and communicate again.

 

Grillby hadn’t been well, per say, since the incident.

He hadn’t regained any of his strength, and he felt colder than usual. It was an unfamiliar feeling. 

He curled up and let a small moan escape him as he tucked himself into the corner, just wishing he was elsewhere. He hadn’t felt such poorly since the great war.

His cellmate tried to help the best she could, though there was honestly nothing that could be done, other than feed him the occasional chunks of wet wood they threw in. It was almost as if they were purposely trying to kill him.  

His core temperature had dropped and it left him feeling ill. He hadn’t even known he could become ill before. 

What happened when you got ill?

The fish monster- Undyne, knew his predicament well enough. If he grew too cold, he’d burn out, fall, dust, and as there was absolutely nothing else to do, she was happy enough to help him.

A thin sliver of wood was pushed towards him, poking about his general mouth area. Slowly, he exposed his rows of jagged teeth and took it. 

Hm.

Woody.

Ever since she had discovered he was much too exhausted to even bother trying to eat, she had torn up the wood into smaller chunks with her claws. This meant he didn’t eat as much as before, and that the wood dried out, sometimes.

The chunk that remained was from two weeks ago. 

He didn’t know whether he should have been relieved, or concerned.

He was much too tired to care right now anyway, he let it go, and watched her instead. 

Turquoise scales, red hair, fins, yellow eyes. 

He hadn't seen her before. Mostly due to the fact that he rarely stepped out of his bar and almost never went to waterfall. 

He turned his thoughts towards their captors. 

There was something about these humans that unnerved him. How they knew where they were, and what types of monsters were there, and…

He wouldn't find the answers so quickly. 

For now, he resolved to simply lie there and wait. 

 

_ He had once been known as something much more sinister. Something that struck fear into the hearts of men and monster alike. _

_ No. _

_ Not know as. _

_ He had been. _

_ He had been hellfire. _

_ His flames had spread across the ground, incinerating foes and their cities, giving monsterkind an edge in the battles he fought.  _

_ He rose in ranks. Foot soldier, captain, general, major general. _

_ However, when it came to the end, what was he? _

_ Nothing more than a simple elemental.  _

_ Not even a monster. _

_ But who said an elemental couldn’t dream? _


	8. Chapter 8

Papyrus didn't get another chance to communicate for another couple of weeks.

That was, until they were moved again, made to walk for hours and days on end across rough mountain terrain and stuffed, packed tightly into white vans with heavy doors and metal bolts and latches.

Many of them panicked. They had never seen anything like it before and it was terrifying to the lot of them.

Only the older ones seemed slightly less terrified. Even if they had seen humans before, these massive vehicles were something they hadn't seen before.

This time, Papyrus found himself in a small packed room with a couple of monsters he didn't know, and a shivering yellow lump in the corner. A dirtied white garment hung off them and they looked miserable.

Papyrus approached tentatively, trying not to trample, or startle any of the others.

“ALPHYS?”

The lump twitched, and slowly, unfurled. A blunted snout peeked out, voice shaky, the reptile turned slowly.

“P-Papyrus?”

The second the skeleton acknowledged her, she leapt at him.

“P-Papyrus! Where’s Sans? Where’s Undyne?”

The truck awoke with a massive shudder and a snarl. All of them jumped, a couple screamed, a child cried.

Papyrus felt his nonexistent heart shudder with dread and he couldn’t help but inch closer to Alphys in a small fit of terror. Alphys was sweating bullets, chained wrists shuddering so they clinked.

“P-Papyrus?”

“YES, ALPHYS?”

“I-I’m...” She inched closer and slipped under his arm.

“...scared.”

“I...” The skeleton faltered, then hugged her back. “...ME TOO.” He finally confessed.

“I DO NOT KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OTHERS…. I CAN ONLY HOPE THEY ARE ALRIGHT.”

“What are they going to d-do to us?”

“I DON’T KNOW.” Papyrus answered truthfully, jolting slightly as the truck shook.

Alphys lifted her chained wrists, grasping her snout in clawed hands, the sharp claws digging into her scales.

“Oh god, what if they kill us? What if they…”

Alphys shuddered and leaned into the skeleton, eyes wide with terror.

Papyrus didn't answer, he didn't know what to do.

 

 

“C’mon, kiddo. Up.”

Frisk shivered from the cold and blinked the sleep from their eyes. 

It had been days since Sans had last hurt them, and in their opinion, them being still alive said something. Maybe he had actually taken their words into consideration. 

“Hurry up.” The skeleton snapped, blue magic wrapped around them and they were hoisted to their feet with a startled whimper. They signed a weak,  _ why? _

They were brought closer to the skeleton, who locked them in a fiery gaze.

“Tell you what, you’re going to help me get my friends back. You succeed and I might consider letting you go. If not... well, I could use a good lot of that red stuff, 

especially after Grillbz ran out of ketchup.”

Frisk’s terrified gaze must have reached him, as he laughed.

Without another word, he turned, dragging the child out the door with him. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...Hope?

_ Crunch.  _

Undyne wriggled free of her shackles as they broke, who knew greater dog had such a strong bite? His muzzle lay tattered a ways off, shredded by her claws. 

She stood, rubbing her wrists. 

Teamwork. 

“Hey.”

She called gently and moved back to the fire elemental who sat against the wall. He was watching patiently. 

“I'm going to try and get these off.”

His voice replied a few seconds later as she fastened her claws around the cuffs on his wrists. 

_ “...try not to cut me... my blood… It will burn you.” _

“Alright. Tell me if I’m hurting you.”

After a few minutes of useless tugging and clinking, the fish monster pulled away. Grillby froze at the sight of a glowing blue spear materializing. There had been a time when those had pierced him many a time and it haunted him still. He knew she wouldn't hurt him. 

The point struck the metal over and over again, denting it. Grillby applied his own heat, as much as he could anyway. Within half an hour, it broke with a satisfying shatter. 

Undyne pumped her fist with a victorious  _ YEAH!   _

Grillby reached up to slide his fingers along the collar that kept his magic at bay. Tiredly, he gestured at it. They got to work immediately, and an hour later, it was gone. 

He got to his feet with a grunt. The room pitched slightly and he caught the wall, co unnaturally cold and smooth, to steady himself. 

They waited for what seemed to be hours, until the van showed signs of stopping. 

Immediately, he readied himself as Undyne gestured for the others to move to the sides.  

The chatter of human voices rose in volume, footsteps approached and he felt his flames flare.

_ Clank _

_ Screech _

_ Rattle _

The door swung open with a crunch and without thinking, he blasted the humans with a torrent of flame. The first was incinerated immediately, the second screamed, backing away as his flesh sloughed in burnt chunks. The third and fourth had ducked behind the van’s open doors to await the end of the attack.

He panted, willing himself to continue, he couldn’t let them win. Yet another part of him knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold them off forever. He was already tiring…

His flames dimmed and his hands dropped, struggling to summon a sizeable flame.

He failed. The two remaining humans appeared after a couple of seconds, only to be met by a volley of spears. They fell to the ground, just in time for another group to approach the entrance of the van, they blocked the attacks, entering the white interior of the vehicle. 

Undyne, the Greater Dog and Grillby lunged.

His body blazed, burning flesh as it came into contact, the smell of boiling blood filled the air. Around them, chaos reigned. Monsters ran in terror, escaping the vehicle. Spears swept from above, not enough to kill, but enough to wound. Meanwhile, two tons of white fur in armour assaulted the remaining.

For a minute, it seemed as if there was hope.

Then there was a loud bang, Greater Dog yowled, and Grillby knew it was over. Out the corner of his eye, he saw him slumped, red staining the white fur. 

He let out a hiss of fury and redoubled his attacks, watching Undyne as she jumped, clawing at the faces of their captors. He watched helplessly as she was knocked to the ground and made helpless.

Already, Greater Dog had been muzzled, Undyne chained. All their work gone in a matter of seconds.

He looked around, civilians cowered in the corners of the van, cast in harsh shadows by his flame. Outside, those that had tried to run had been rounded up and caught. They were all looking at him.

It was then that he realised that he was the only one standing, he was the only hope.

And he would fail them. A final spurt of flame burst from his fingers, then he was out. He collapsed to his knees, breathing heavily, before his knees too gave out and he was left in a crumpled heap flickering dimly, the final embers of an inferno that had once blazed proud.

The last thing he felt were the vibrations of footsteps as they approached him, and the feeling of something touching his dying flames before he finally passed out.

  
  


Months had passed since the underground had been attacked and the monsters taken.

Some were shipped off to distant continents at high prices, others were dissected, taken to labs, sold as slaves, pets, used as ornaments…

Whatever happened to them, it was never good.

Papyrus had watched his friends shipped off and bought one by one, leaving him alone.  

He had watched as they took Undyne, who fought them the whole way. 

Alphys had gone submissively, as had the rest of the dogs. Apart from the Dogi of course, who had fought enough to rival Undyne when they had been forcefully separated. 

And he still didn't know where Sans was. 

He hoped he was safe. 

 

“Pick up the pace.”

Frisk struggled to follow the skeleton, pain shooting through their limbs with every step. They hadn't been allowed to rest in days. 

There were no other humans in the underground now but the fear of being found still hung heavy in the air. 

The familiar scent of ozone filled the air as they neared the throne room. The flowers were trampled, dust scattered across the entire room like dirty snow. 

Sans didn't even pay attention to it as he walked through. 

Through corridors, doors, and finally, they were there. 

The sight of a shattered barrier greeted them. 

Frisk trembled in fear at the look in Sans’s eyes. They knew he could very well snap and kill them then and there. 

On the contrary, he turned and picked up Frisk, seemingly registering their exhaustion. 

They were limp in the skeleton’s arms, wheezing quietly and exhausted. Sans sighed, whether in irritation or surrender they didn’t know. 

“Let’s rest, alright, kiddo?”

Frisk let out a gasp of breath; perhaps in relief, they themself did not know, then fell asleep promptly.

  
  


Sans leaned against the stone where the barrier had once sat. He sighed, gently carding his phalanges through the child’s hair. They let out a tiny whimper and curled, snuggling closer to him. 

It had been so long since he’d seen the surface.

But under this situation...

He shut one eye, trying to rest as well. He’d have to keep up his strength, but he knew to be wary and alert. They’d travel for the closest settlement in the morning. Maybe they’d find some answers there.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Grillby POV

 

_ Hiss.  _

Grillby struggled, feeling the cold bite of metal everywhere. He was in a cage, again, and he hated it. The room was dark and cold, small, it was packed with cages. Some were empty, others held monsters or animals. 

The place reeked of ammonia and fear, the only noise the rattling of metal and the occasional moan or whimper. 

Water dripped from a cracked pipe above and he moved from its trajectory, immediately regretting it as it began to drip onto the trembling snowdrake in the cage under. Distressed, he tried to crawl to his knees, only to hit his head on the top of the cage. He returned to his former position and after a few moments, slammed his head against the bars out of frustration. 

He wanted  _ out.  _

They had overpowered them in seconds. When he had fallen, the collar and restraints were replaced. 

He never saw Undyne again. 

He vaguely remembered human hands everywhere, a stage, a crowd, then he had woken up in this room. 

That had been weeks ago. 

The horrors he had seen since plagued his mind still. He’d watched humans experiment on his kind when he’d been placed in the main lab. He’d witnessed a Whimsun being put through harsh testing, experimented upon until it collapsed of exhaustion, then it had been dissected. 

Its screams still rang in his ears. 

He rammed his head against the bars again, this time just trying to forget.

Oh god.

Even the atrocities he had seen in the war didn’t compare to this.

To see a defenseless monster being torn apart in a surgical manner, its screams echoing as it was pinned down, gagged and examined in its death throes. He’d watched its HP trickle down to one, then zero. Then with a final agonized wail, it had crumbled into a pile of dust. This too was scooped into a tiny vial and corked, taken away for further examination and testing.

The nonchalance they could retain whilst doing such a deed, it made him sick.

He wondered who would be next.

His question was answered promptly as the door opened. A small group of humans stepped into view. However, only two approached as the room was much too small.

Hands gripped the handles of his cage, tugging him onto a trolley, they locked the cage down with a series of clamps and moved to drag the snowdrake on top. One of the two humans prodded it with a finger. It stayed limp and inched away weakly. 

The fire elemental flared in response, glaring daggers at their captors.

They ignored him and wheeled them out of the room. The light hit him hard. It was glaring and cold, sterile. He shivered as the wheels of the trolley clattered across the tiled floor.

He tried to calm himself, curling up a bit tighter on his side and trying not to hyperventilate.

They’d experimented on him before, and it had  _ hurt.  _

One experience alone had haunted him for months on end and he had only just managed to begin shaking it off. He wasn’t sure he was ready for another encounter.

He turned his attention to the snowdrake instead. It seemed as scared as he was, there was a high chance it had never even been through one of these sessions.

A set of heavy metal doors were pushed open and they were wheeled in, the trolley parked in a corner, the cages were freed and set on the center counter.

The snowdrake moved away from the humans, breathing becoming heavy and quick as it panicked. It was an impossible goal, seeing that they were surrounded. Grillby simply hissed, trying to make his flames burn brighter in warning.

Slowly, one of them approached his cage, undoing the complex lock mechanism that held him trapped. 

Gloved hands reached in and grabbed him, careful not to hurt him too much, but forceful in their movements. Too weak to fight, he lay submissively, limp in their hold. 

He was brought over to a table, his collar and chains attached to a couple of clamps. He tested the binds discreetly and grimaced, there wouldn't be any getting out of this. 

Something long and sharp was placed in front of him, a human seemingly plugging the end of the wire elsewhere. A gloved hand brushed at the flames of his chest, moving his tattered clothing and pushed the rod in. 

Grillby let out a scream. He was ignored, the human holding it there, moving it about, pushing it deeper and muttering something. Behind him, he could hear the rattling of a cage, the snowdrake was clearly agitated. 

He felt the cold of metal laid against where his ribs would have been, it was taken away after some time and the scratch of pen on paper followed shortly. 

He closed his eyes, the sharp teeth that he so rarely exposed visible as he panted for air. Immediately, something metal was shoved between his teeth to keep them open, another probe entering his throat and making him writhe in discomfort. Gagging, he tried to bite down, only to have sharp pieces dig in and force his mouth open again.

Human hands grabbed at his limbs, holding him down and making sure he couldn't do so much as flicker a little more than usual. He strained against their hold and his HP dwindled as the probe in his chest was jabbed in deeper, hard. 

It melted as it was engulfed in a flood of the molten lava that made up his core. One of the humans cursed, another muttered something, voice sounding intrigued. The probe was pulled from his chest and he struggled, the pain muting sound and sight. 

He felt something cool press against his bleeding wound and watched as they gathered the drops into a flask that surprisingly remained unmelted.

His pained noises were ignored and the tests continued, the probe replaced.

He suffered through an eternity of pain, hands touching every inch of him to hold him, it was torture. Eventually they removed the device jammed into his mouth and he snapped it shut, curling up with a pained grimace, eyes shut tightly. 

Finally they stopped, the humans left him, the painful probes were left in his body. Grillby wheezed, wanting so badly to tear them out, but knowing he could do nothing. 

He watched as the snowdrake was taken from its cage. As soon as it was grabbed, it began to struggle, clawing and screeching.

It fought helplessly for a few moments until a human in a stained white coat approached with a needle. The monster was held still and the needle jabbed into its neck. Within seconds, it had stilled, obviously still aware, but immobile.

Grillby watched in horror as it was brought over to another table. 

He had witnessed this before. 

A sharp scalpel was brought over, and its wielder made quick work of the snowdrake’s wing. The monster was returned to its cage and lay paralyzed there as the severed wing was dissected before it, the skin pinned back to expose the muscle. One of the humans hastily wrapped a length of gauze around the stump and left it there to bleed. 

Grillby shuddered from pain and closed his eyes again, awaiting sweet unconsciousness. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the comments!

 

“Where to next?”

Sans hefted the child in his arms, knowing making them walk would be stupid, what with how exhausted they were already. Frisk lifted a hand and weakly pointed down one of the roads. They were familiar with them, having explored the areas around Mt. Ebott many a time. It had been how they had fallen down the hole in the first place.

Maybe it would have been better if they never did. Their disappearance had triggered the whole human attack after all. 

According to Sans, after they had disappeared, the humans had grown curious. A couple had stumbled across the hole and an investigation had ensued. Within months, the government had ordered a full scale invasion.

That was all the skeleton knew, where they were now and what was being done to them, he hadn’t a clue. They supposed it was why they were here now. 

Down this road there was a small village, Frisk could ask, but they honestly doubted they knew anything. Further down lead to the main city. There would definitely be something there. 

_ Maybe… _

Frisk’s hands paused in hesitation. 

_ Maybe we should skip this village and go straight for the main city? _

_ I doubt we’ll find anything there.  _

“Hm. Seems like a good way to save time. Lead the way, kid.”

They managed to skirt the town, the city coming into the horizon just as the sun began to set.  

Frisk pointed and gestured until Sans took notice, squinting against the vermillion glare that was the sun. 

“That's where we’re headed?” The skeleton paused, just taking it in. 

“...its huge.”

He kept his eyes fixed on the city, Frisk felt a tremor go through his bones. 

“How are we going to find them, Frisk? We can't very well search every corner of that place.”

Frisk suddenly felt their determination well, bubbling in their chest and rising. They puffed their chest out. 

_ We will if we have to.  _

Sans only snorted and began walking again. The very prospect of what they were going to do, what was happening was disheartening. 

He stayed silent for hours, Frisk seemed to sense that he wasn’t in the mood to talk and stayed quiet as well. They reached the city in utter darkness. Frisk shivered, clinging on to the skeleton. Though they had lived on the surface for their entire life, the settlement held an ominous aura.

Sans’s bony fingers clenched around their arms, making Frisk squeak in surprise.

“Let’s go, kid.”

 

“Shut up, monster!”

The whip lashed against him with a crack, making him flinch and whimper involuntarily. Although he had no flesh, it still stung.

Papyrus’s voice was weak as he tried again. 

“P-PLEASE-”

He was rewarded with a barrage of lashes before he could even voice the second word. When the beating finally ceased, he was numb with pain and felt utterly broken. 

“No more talking.” The human growled, kicking him with a boot. He whimpered and inched away. He didn't understand why they were hurting him. 

“Show me what you can do with your magic. Don’t try anything funny.”

Papyrus shivered and lifted a hand, a bone materialised before dissipating, he was too exhausted to retain it. The human looked unimpressed. 

“I thought I told you to show me what you could do, not some half-assed attempt!”

“N-NO W-WAIT I-”

The collar around his neck was yanked sharply and he fell backwards. He hadn’t ever been treated like this before and it was terrifying.

A boot pressed down on his throat and he went still, whimpering quietly. The human snapped.

“Stay there.”

He did, even as the boot was lifted and the human walked away. He dared himself to turn his head slightly to one side to where a commotion was taking place.

A pair of yellow eyes filled with hatred caught his attention. He watched helplessly as a familiar fish monster was tugged into the space. She lunged at one of the humans, jagged teeth barely missing his thigh. The human swore and a whip caught her across her face. She turned away, hissing and bleeding, will unbroken.

He closed his eyes and returned to his previous position, hearing the frustrated snarls as Undyne fought.

Papyrus curled into himself, whimpering softly. 

He wished someone would just make all of it stop.


	12. Chapter 12

He was woken in the morning by a blast of cold water to his chest. He cried out in pain, knowing he'd sustain water burns. He'd be lucky if it didn't scar. 

He felt the touch of gloves to the hurt area and he shuddered violently, giving the human a vehement glare. 

“Subject seems to react to water as one would react to fire.”

A click and a photo was taken, a scalpel scraping away a small chunk of his cooled core. 

“Samples taken.”

Grillby felt disgusted. 

Something small and pointed scraped at the corners of his eyes, then at his mouth. 

“Eyes and features do not change in shape.”

Grillby shook his head, hating the feeling. 

The human ignored him and jotted something down. 

“Stop squirming.”

They pushed him so he lay flat on his back and clapped shackles around his limbs. He fought until they overpowered him, though it wasn't much of a challenge as he had already been horribly weakened. 

A long knife was brought over and the tip slid easily into his chest. Grillby threw his head back with a hiss. 

It cut deeper and dragged down until it reached his pelvis. By then he was writhing, gasping in pain, molten lava spilling from the cut. 

The knife scraped at his insides, then was removed. Gloved fingers plunged into the rip and he howled in pain, body shaking and spasming. 

Someone approached with something metal. He turned his head away on instinct. 

Hands grabbed him forcefully and turned his head, easily prying his mouth open and inserting the device as he screamed. 

They released his head and he let it drop onto the table limply, too weak to resist.

They removed it after an eternity, leaving Grillby gagging and spitting, leaking molten fluid from his mouth as well. 

One of the humans pressed something to his wound, before sliding a thin piece of wood between his teeth. 

Grillby devoured it in seconds, starved and hurt. He was given more and he ate without hesitation. 

They returned him to his cage, cramping him into the tiny area. He slumped against the bars, crackling quietly. 

A different human approached him then, pen poised above their clipboard. Their voice was cold, commanding. They rapped on the bars with a pen. 

“Tell me what you feel.”

Grillby glared and hissed weakly before being overcome by darkness. 

“ _...go to h-hell…” _

The look on the human's face he caught right before he fell asleep was enough to bring a small grin to his own. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...there will be repercussions.


	13. Chapter 13

“... Monsters freed from beneath Mt. Ebott? Really?”

Frisk lifted their hands as if about to sign something, then dropped them with a sigh and a halfhearted shrug. 

_ Humans… they do this sort of thing sometimes. It makes the public see this as something good. _

Sans growled. “That’s stupid. Are all of them sheep?”

Frisk sighed and leaned against the alley wall. Sans had his hood drawn up and tightly tied. His sockets were dark as he read over the headlines, then scanned the rest of the paper. 

He stomped his foot in frustration and dropped the paper. 

“How're we going to find them? They might be somewhere else in the world for all we know.”

Frisk could only watch helplessly as Sans’s magic surrounded a loose brick and slammed it repeatedly into the newspaper, denting the street and ripping the paper to shreds. 

After a minute, the skeleton slowed, panting as he lowered the brick slowly. He turned to Frisk, hopelessness in his eyes. 

“What do we do now?”

He didn't wait for an answer, closing his eyes with a soft:  _ dammit.  _

Frisk waited until he seemed to calm, then gently placed a hand on his shoulder. His head whipped around. 

“ _ What? _ ”

They squatted next to him and gave him a reassuring smile. 

_ It'll be alright. We’ll find them and bring them home.  _

Sans gave a weak chuckle. He lifted his hand and tousled their hair, making them fall back with an undignified squeak. 

“You're right, kiddo. We will.”

Frisk picked their way through the remains of the newspaper and finding the wanted scrap, held it up. They shivered as the ozone brought about by magic crackled dangerously. Sans’s left eye glowed cyan. 

“Laboratories? They were sent to laboratories?”

His anger died within seconds and he sighed, going limp again in defeat. 

“...At least that narrows down our search areas. Alright, let's take a look round. Know any places?”

Frisk thought for a moment, they knew there were laboratories throughout the city, in universities mostly, but they doubted the monsters would be sent there. They shrugged and shook their head.

_ Can you track magic? Humans don’t use it any more, so if you find anything, its most likely to be a monster. _

“Hm.”

They watched as Sans’s eye was wreathed in blue again. After a moment, he stopped. 

“Found something. Its not too far from here. Check?”

Frisk popped their head out of the alleyway, and finding no humans, gestured to the skeleton that it was safe. 

They started down the road quickly, dawn wasn’t too far off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy. Thanks for all the feedback!


	14. Chapter 14

Grillby lay numb in his cage. 

He was barely strong enough to move, much less try to escape. Ever since the little incident where he’d snapped at one of them, they hadn’t taken him out again. In fact, they’d returned him to the little storage room. 

However, a human still came around every once in awhile to drug him.

There was nothing he could do about it, and he despised his own helplessness. Every time they used it, the reactions became worse, lasted longer. There was nothing he knew about the substance, other than that it caused his body to stop responding and made it difficult to breathe, swallow and talk. It brought about nausea and headaches as well as muscle cramps and minute seizures. 

However, it did make it easier to go to sleep.

Unable to breathe properly, he used the last of his strength to twist onto his side and pant, tongue lolling and jagged teeth showing.

The cool of the bars was comforting somewhat. He felt like he was using too much magic, like it was burning at him from the inside, heated and suffocating.

He shut his eyes and tried to forget his misery. 

The snowdrake had turned to dust hours earlier.

Wrong thought. 

It only made him more miserable.

He felt his body begin to become heavier, losing consciousness and all his senses. His breath caught in his chest and he shuddered, struggling to get a full breath. Sharp pain lanced through his chest and he let out a very weak scream. He tucked into himself even more, trying to squeeze into one of the corners and disappear completely as he heard footsteps approach.

_ Just leave me be… _

“Easy now.”

The voice came muffled and warped, he had not the strength to react, only felt the minor vibrations as something seemed to shake his cage. He wheezed.

 

 

The fire monster’s heavy gasping filled the room, hitting them as soon as they entered. The air in the room was hot, suffocating, heat rolling off him in waves. 

Sweat immediately beaded on their brow. 

_ What do we do? He looks sick. _

Sans’s eyes were hollow as he looked at the other caged monsters, all looking exhausted, hurt and ill.

“I’ve got the cages. You make sure none of them die.”

_ How? _

Too late. 

Sans had already grabbed onto one of the cages and teleported off to the safe space they’d found in the wilderness. Frisk sighed, then hid behind one of the larger cages. There weren’t that many monsters here, they hated to think of what might have happened to them. Already they could see a fine sprinkling of white powder across everything.

They shuddered.

To distract themselves, they explored the room, snagging a ring of keys they found on a hook by the door.

Looking around, they found that most of the monsters seemed calm, or already used to it. The worst damage looked to be starvation and minor wounds. They tested the keys on a cage and it popped open with a satisfying noise. 

The only one who seemed to be suffering severely was the fire monster. They crawled and sat beside his cage, reaching in through the bars carefully. They knew magic could be unpredictable, he might burn them without a second thought.

Then again, he looked so weak.

There was a rattle from the far side of the room as Sans reappeared, then just as quickly disappeared.

Perhaps they were simply more worried that their touch would dust him.

Their hand touched his cheek, it was warm, but much cooler than it should have been. 

He really must have been unwell.

After a couple of minutes, Grillby seemed to calm at their touch, perhaps figuring that it wasn’t meant to hurt. 

Slowly, his breathing slowed. He seemed to stop trembling and lay quite still. Frisk sighed and watched as Sans returned. Grillby was the only one left.

“What’cha doin’ there, kiddo?”

Signing with their free hand, they answered.

_ I don’t know. He stopped. _

Sans crossed his arms, for the first time, Frisk noticed that the fabric was soaked.

“...See, we’ve got a little problem. Its raining.”

_...oh. _

“We’ll have to cover him with something before we bring him out. Any ideas?”

Frisk shook their head, then slowly, slowly inched atop the cage, wrapping their arms around the sides so their belly acted as an impromptu cover.

Sans shrugged and grasped onto the two of them. A dizzying spinning sensation later, they were set onto damp earth under a tree, rain pouring down around them. Frisk gasped, feeling the water soak through their sweater. Grillby’s heat warmed them from below. 

Gently easing themselves off the cage, they pushed it closer towards the trunk, trying to keep the water off. After making sure he was alright, Frisk sat beside the fire elemental, waiting and watching as Sans brought the rest of the caged monsters over. 

Frisk watched as they were placed around them and they ran about unlocking the cages. A snowdrake, a vulkin, a cage full of whimsuns…

Sans had stopped for a break, panting. 

“Ok, kiddo. Just a couple more.”

Frisk held up the keys, tossing the last one at him. 

_ This should fit.  _

Sans caught it and nodded appreciatively. Frisk looked at their feet, signing. 

_ Are you sure you don't want me coming… _

“It's fine. Don't worry bout ol’ Sansy.” He grunted, before disappearing once more.

 

 

Frisk settled beside Grillby again. Hours seemed to pass. Grillby even began to stir as they waited, concerned and rocking on the balls of their feet. Sans had said there was only one more. It shouldn’t have taken him this long... 

_ “...F-Frisk?” _

Frisk jumped at the noise and turned to see the fire elemental stirring, shaking his head and lifting it to look up at them from within the cage.

_ You're awake! _

The rain had stopped and they opened the cage door just in case he wanted to come out. They doubted it. He looked so weak. They’d be surprised if he was able to crawl. 

“ _ W-Where…” _

_ Outside the lab. Sans got you out.  _

Frisk chewed their lip worriedly. 

_ …are you hurt? _

Grillby grimaced weakly, hand running down his cheek. 

_ “I… I'm f-fine…” _

Frisk sighed, leaning against the cage. Their worry for Sans returned full force.

_ Just relax for now, alright? _

Grillby nodded and lay down again, obviously, the exchange had exhausted him. Five minutes passed, then eight, then ten. Frisk paced a wide circle around the rescued monsters, wearing a ring of footsteps into the damp soil. 

Where was Sans?

What if he’d been caught?

Frisk stopped their pacing, falling against a tree trunk as their panic took a hold of them. It was then that a panicked Gyftrot burst through the trees, making Frisk and the rest of them jump in surprise. 

It was breathing hard, legs splayed in a sturdy stance. It had obviously run quite a long way.

 

“They've got Sans!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand... oops.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks for the feedback!

 

The Gyftrot’s jaws were suited well to the task of getting the magic restraints off and it complied quickly. Once they’d all been freed, they hid the cages, the broken restraints, and trekked away from the facility. No matter how much Frisk wanted to save Sans, they knew that it was going to be too dangerous

After a day of moving, the group settled down to rest. Many of them were hungry, tired and needed rest. Frisk glanced nervously around the area, biting their lip in worry. They hadn’t travelled anywhere near far enough, but it was obvious it wasn’t going to happen.

Frisk settled with sitting on a rock and scuffing the ground with their feet. The monsters could manage. 

There were a couple with proficient healing magic and it was immensely helpful. There were several that were in a lot worse condition than others, Grillby being one of them. The fire monster could barely stand, much less walk. Frisk looked for him through the small crowd. He currently lay seemingly asleep against a small rocky outcropping, flames low and nearly transparent. 

Shivering in the cooling night air, Frisk moved over to him to keep an eye on him and to take advantage of the natural warmth he emitted. He was shivering, unaware of all things happening around him. Frisk could only wonder what he’d been put through. A rabbit monster approached them both, kneeling in front of the elemental.

“Are you hurt?” She asked, addressing Frisk. Frisk shook their head in a no and pointed instead at Grillby.

There was a pregnant pause as she checked him over, gently pulling up his tattered shirt to check on the wounds there. Frisk looked as well, he had been stabbed in different places, multiple times. 

She finally spoke again with a sigh.

“...Thank you, dear. I don’t know what might have happened if you hadn’t come… And Sans too...”

Frisk nodded, not bothering to sign, she probably wouldn’t understand it anyways.

The monster returned her attention to the wounded Grillby, gently smoothing her paws over the bandages and applying waves of healing magic. She sighed, not pausing in her work.

“...Its not looking good for him, I’m afraid… He’s been very badly hurt. I can’t promise that he’ll...”   
She trailed off, eyes becoming distant and glassy.

_ Turn to dust… _

Frisk signed mutely, happy for once that she couldn’t understand. They knew how weak monsters were. In fact, they were surprised he hadn’t dusted already. They watched as his breathing got a little heavier as the rabbit monster prodded carefully, unwrapping the bandages.

The fire monster twitched, writhing weakly as the puncture wounds were exposed. Once again, she repeated the process, coating the ugly wounds with layers of soothing healing magic. The fire elemental stopped struggling as the calming sensation spread through him. As he relaxed, tension disappearing from his muscles, the rabbit monster drew back and turned to Frisk.

“He’s in a lot of pain. Let him rest for now, he’ll need it. I don’t think moving him would be a good idea.”

Frisk nodded quickly and signed a quick ‘thank you’. She left them after that, off to care for the wounded.

They sat down again, sitting for what seemed to be a long time before they shut their eyes. Just in time to miss the fire elemental’s eyes opening a slit. His arm came around, gently drawing them closer into his warmth before falling into unconsciousness quickly again.

  
  


Darkness. 

_ “Ok, kiddo. Just a couple more.” _

Footsteps. 

_ “Go! Get out of here! Go!” _

Blue. 

_ “... What the-” _

Screaming. 

_ “God! Shoot it!” _

Pain. 

A loud thud. 

Wet. 

Muffled shouting. 

_ Clatter.  _

Light. 

 

_ “It's fine. Don't worry bout ol’ Sansy.”  _

Gasping, Sans awoke drenched in cold sweat. 

Or maybe it was rainwater, he couldn't tell in his muddled state. Where was he?

He sat up, feeling his head smack loudly against metal. 

Metal?

Shit. 

Shit shit shit shi-

Lifting his hands, he felt the familiar warmth of magic burn in his eye socket. He directed it towards whatever was in front of him. 

Nothing. 

Confused, he tried again only for it to yield the same result. 

He reached forwards, his other hand reaching up to rub at his eye sockets, vision blurry and mind disoriented. 

It was only as his vision cleared that his hand met the bars of a cage with a hollow clang. 

Shit. 

Breathing hard in disbelief, he sat up again, ignoring the pain as the bars hit his skull. 

He reached up, tentatively wrapping his fingers around the bars and pulling. They did not give way and in a sudden fit of anger and energy, he punched the bars beside him with a hopeless cry. 

He'd seen what they'd did to the other monsters. 

He knew what they could, and would do to him. 

Panicking, he writhed in the small space, bones rattling as the lights in his sockets disappeared out of fear. 

He had to focus. He had to calm down. 

Calm. 

But they could kill him  _ so easily.  _

Calm. 

Where was Papyrus?

Calm. 

After a few moments of staring into nothingness, he finally let out a breath he didn't realise he had been holding. The tautness in his chest loosened and he felt his soul stop its frantic shuddering. 

He stopped shaking and finally got a good look around him. 

Different room. 

Of course they wouldn't put him into the same room. They assumed Frisk knew how to get in. 

He ran his phalanges up one of the corners, it made a rattling noise and he let out a shuddering breath. 

He needed to think. 


	16. Chapter 16

 

Their small group trekked further and further away. A lot of them were getting better, many being able to walk independently. They were moving at a much quicker pace. By the fifth day, they were safely up a nearby mountain where they resolved to stop and rest. Dark clouds crowded the horizon and it was already an incentive to stop moving. There were several from Hotland who wouldn't be able to withstand a strong downpour. 

Within hours of stopping, they constructed small shelters, started campfires and soon had a small camp. 

The weak and injured were moved into the most secure shelters whilst the others shared the smaller ones. 

He himself had been getting stronger, the side effects of the drug lasted still, but the most serious symptoms were gone. He could stand on his own, breathe without pain, and his wounds had finally begun to heal. He was still unable to walk for long distances however, and he felt like a dead weight to the rest of them. But he’d been through situations like this in the war and he knew there was no room for self pity at times like this.

However, the other monsters insisted on fussing over him.

A medic checked in on him every couple of hours, looking over his wounds and bringing him small amounts of fuel. It was almost as if they were worried he’d go out. 

He was still very weak though, and after such a long day of walking, it was almost impossible for him to stay awake, much less, resist. 

So he did all he could do; let out a weak noise of thanks as a kindly fish monster lifted his bandages and prodded gently with the curve of his claw. The bandages were stripped away easily, replaced with fresh gauze. 

“Relax.”

The fish monster murmured as he finished wrapping the bandages. Grillby realised he had been tensing and did as he was told, closing his eyes. Immediately his breathing grew less strained and he rested against the stone. He remained still for the rest of the time as he patched up his wounds, not reacting to the pain.

A familiar tugging sensation startled him slightly, only to have him shut his eyes again when he found that the monster was just checking his soul. They murmured.

“Fortunately, your HP has been getting better. Do you feel anything? Uncomfortable? Pain?” 

_ “...Pain… just sometimes, in my chest.” _

It was a side effect of the drug they’d used on him, he learned. He didn’t know if the pain would be permanent, or if it would disappear completely one day. He could only hope for the latter.

The fish monster nodded grimly. “...I know. We’re still trying to identify what they put into you and how to get it out. I think there’s a high likelihood this is one of the side effects.”

_ “...I understand.” _

Grillby answered. He could feel the poison in him, coursing through his fire, his core, spiderwebbing like cracks across his soul. 

_ “...I will attempt to ignore it. We are already travelling slow as it is. Those in the lab will not be the only ones tailing us.” _

“What do you mean? We’ve gotten far enough, haven’t we?” He had a quizzical look on his face, ear fins moving slowly as he processed the elemental’s words. Grillby only shook his head.

He knew human mages still existed. Monster hunters. If word got out that a group of injured, vulnerable monsters were wandering the wilderness, they’d be on their tails in days.

_ “...This is far from over.” _


	17. Chapter 17

A week had passed and he was still where he had been. 

He’d tried to teleport out once or twice, but found that he could never get out of the room. They always found him eventually, and he knew putting up a fight was useless. After his sixth escape, he gave up, opting to use his time to think of another way out. He sat in his cage for days on end, phalanges digging into his cheekbones as the clawed himself in blind panic. They hadn't done anything to him, and yet, the lack of activity was terrifying. 

It was only hours later that day when the door finally opened, the room being lit by a single shaft of light. 

Immediately, he teleported. 

Instantly, he regretted it. 

He was grabbed in the doorway, the human casually tossing him into the corner of the room. He looked up in a daze, lifting his hand to summon a blaster only to have another pair of humans intercept him, holding his arms down. 

“Teleportation, hm? Interesting…”

The first human turned to the ones in white coats. Gesturing languidly. 

“I'll take him.”

Sans struggled futilely. Knocking his skull against the ground as he thrashed. 

The noise seemed to attract the first human’s attention and he looked over, addressing the two who held him. 

“Collar him, then throw him back into the cage. I don't want any more trouble.”

Sans strained against their hold, soul slamming against his ribs as he grew agitated. A hand grabbed the back of his hoodie and jerked him up as a collar was produced. He was held tightly and it was clicked, then tightened around his neck. Immediately, he felt his magic reserves drop, his soul and body becoming unnaturally fatigued. He went limp, doing his best to keep himself breathing. 

He barely registered it as he was locked within a cage again, lifted and carried out. He lost consciousness as they left the building, catching a glimpse of the fading sky before his world blacked completely.

 

 

He awoke not in a cage, but chained to the ground in a decently furnished room. He sat up, feeling his bones creak as his hands pressed into the carpeted floor. There was a small plate of food beside him, as well as a glass of water. He stared distrustfully and ignored it despite his hunger.

He stood, chains clanking as he moved to inspect the room. 

The bed was large, larger than his at Snowdin, and everything was neat. A camera was nailed into one of the corners and he felt unease crawling on his back. 

After maybe a couple hours of exploring, he returned to his previous spot and sat down in contemplation. 

What was going to happen to him now?

The nervous click of his bones filled the room.

_ Click. _

He looked up at the click of the door unlocking. Eyes trained on the door and pupils gone, he stood and backed away, pressing against the wall in an uncharacteristic manner brought about by the stress he’d been put through in the last few days. 

The door opened to reveal the human whom had come for him in the laboratory. Now he could finally take a good look at him, but details were lost in his panic. 

“Well, hello there, sunshine!”

He couldn’t appear weak in front of this damn man.

He couldn’t show him just how vulnerable he was.

Sans let out a low growl, stepping away from the wall.

“Who’re you? Why am I here?”

“Look, let me be clear here. I don’t want to hurt you. But there’s someone else who quite fiercely wants a skeleton monster in their collection.”

Sans felt his eyes flicker in their sockets out of fury and he took a step forwards.

“And let me make myself clear,  _ pal.  _ Let me go, or you’re going to have  _ a bad time. _ ”

The human let out a loud laugh. 

“You won’t be doing any magic with that collar on, bone boy. Now, let’s begin.”

Sans glared suspiciously, beginning to inch back towards the wall.

“Begin what?”

“Showing you how to behave. I can’t sell off aggressive creatures now can I?”

In a flash, he had unshackled the chains from the floor and coiled them tightly around his own wrist. He gave the metal links a tug, sending the skeleton stumbling a couple steps forward. Sans grunted, pulling back as the human paid him no mind.

The halls were wide, carpeted as well, there were an array of room doors that lined the walls.

Sans had stopped fighting. He followed, slumped with his chained hands drooping towards the ground. He tried to teleport halfheartedly, his vision blurring for a second before he was hit by a massive headache. 

“Ah!”

The human turned and tutted.

“That’s what you get for using your magic. The more you use, the more it hurts.”

Sans didn’t reply, glaring at the floor. 

They entered a small room, another two humans followed them in. Walls tiled, the floor was cold cement here. The first human ordered, gesturing at a table.

“Lie down.”

When the skeleton didn’t comply, he was lifted by the two underlings and pinned down instead, metal cuffs clamping him down. The first human called from the other side of the room.

“Look, this could pass so much more easily if you just listened.”

Sans tried to move his limbs, finding he could only move them a couple centimeters, he stopped and lay still.

He watched, tense as a small device was brought over. A hand unzipped his hoodie, pushing his shirt up to expose his ribs. He let out a nervous laugh, trying to calm himself.

“Hey pal, you’re really ribbing me the wrong way.”

A finger touched the sensitive bones and he felt his entire spinal cord squeeze, he let out a high pitched squeak and shivered violently.

_ “Stop.” _

The device was pressed in between his ribs to touch his soul. He struggled, it wasn’t much as the chains held him back. He was ignored.

“Readings?”

“1, 1, 1.”

“Hm.” Sans could feel the cold gaze of the first human on him and he couldn’t help but shiver. He was addressed. “You’re rather weak, aren’t you?”

Sans let out a breath as they removed the device, though he stayed tense, his ribs still bare.

“We’re going to have to do something about that. But we were going to do this anyways...”

The first human had come around to stand beside him. 

“Tell me, do you think something small would fetch a larger price, or something big, fierce, a true monster?”

Sans’s voice was strained.  _ “W-What are you going to do to me?” _

“Oh nothing much.” The human answered, causally rapping his fingers on the table as he waited for one of his assistants to bring him something. “You’ll feel a little pinch.”

A needle was handed to the human, who leaned over the table, pressing it gently against one of his ribs as the red liquid inside swirled. 

“There there. It won’t hurt… much.”

The needle stabbed, he let out a cry, and whatever had been in there spilled into his bone. 


	18. Chapter 18

 

Undyne paced her small cell angrily. The place rang with noises of misery, the small cages packed with mythics and monsters. She’d learned early on that they hadn’t been the first ones the humans had captured. There were creatures she’d never seen before, creatures that had hidden away after most of their kind had been banished, only to be hunted down by monster hunters. 

These weren’t regular soldiers, they were special. Trained to know every monster’s weakness, trained to know just how to hunt them down, capture them, and utilize them in the best ways possible.

They’d known from first glance how hard electric attacks hit her and it was unnerving. 

She fought still, refusing to submit to them. How dare they hurt her friends? How dare they try and control her?

She glared at the wall, sending a strong kick towards it. She brought up her chained hands and slammed against it with both her fists with a frustrated cry.

She’d get out if it was the last thing she’d do.

And…

She looked over at the unconscious skeleton in the cell in in front of her own.

...She’d save Papyrus too. 

 

It hurt.

It hurt so much. 

He had been moved back into the previous room, covered and chained in the bed as he suffered alone. 

Every bone throbbed with pain, as if they were expanding, all tense and about to break. Every movement sent nausea through him, made him want to kill himself. The effects were long lasting, it seemed. Already, breathing hurt, as did swallowing. It didn’t help that his body kept unconsciously using magic, causing even more pain. 

He just wanted to rest!

Clutching at his head, he curled up, spikes of pain running up his spine. He let out a muffled cry and dug his aching fingers into the sheets, teeth clamping down on the pillow as he whined, loudly. 

That was it, he was going to die.

Weakly, he checked his own stats and bit back a choked whimper, eye glowing. Surprisingly, instead of dropping, all his stats had risen.

What had they done to him?

His pained noises echoed through the room for hours on end, eventually fading only when he grew too weak cry out. Then he lay lifeless, staring hazily at the wall as pain continued to arc through his body. He berated himself, why had he wasted time crying out? Had he hoped someone would come and ease the pain?

Snuggling deeper into his hoodie, he shut his eye sockets, hoping to get a few hours of sleep.

 

Even as the pain slowly began to ease, he found no sleep. It was only when the clock on the wall ticked four the next day when someone entered the room. It was a different human this time, holding some strange sort of contraption. With a weak moan, he buried his face in the pillow, feeling a numb ache shoot through his skull. He’d had enough of contraptions for a lifetime.

He was rolled over, a gloved hand stroking the side of his skull. The hand pushed a couple fingers between his teeth and he bit down half-heartedly, surprised at the strength in them. 

The hand jerked away, bleeding. He hadn’t remembered his teeth being so sharp. 

He was probably hallucinating again. 

The human took his skull again, roughly this time, and slipped a cold metal piece between his teeth, a conical muzzle slipped over his mouth and face. 

Too tired and groggy, confused, to even comprehend what was being done to him, he shut his eye sockets, feeling the overwhelming need to sleep.

 

Though they hated to admit it, humans needed rest.

Unrelenting rain pouring down outside. 

Weeks had passed since their escape from the lab, and the rain had stopped their movement. 

Their shelters had collapsed from the heavy rain the first time round, instead of rebuilding them, they resolved to pack all the weakened monsters under a rocky outcropping close by. It was too slippery to go looking for new materials, and all the wood would be too damp anyway. A vulkin acted as a temporary campfire. 

The area under the outcropping was large enough to hold them all, and once they had made sure everyone was alright, Frisk had simply passed out from exhaustion. 

Taking advantage of their unconsciousness and inability to run around, a sole medic attended to them. 

It was only then that the news came. Frisk was sick, not anything too much worse than a common cold, but in these conditions, it was bound to escalate. 

None of them knew how to care for a sick human, nor did they have the supplies to do so. 

Without Frisk or Sans, who knew what might happen to them?

The vulkin chirruped, lava spilling over its sides. A couple monsters backed away as expected. What was  _ not  _ expected however was a sharp unfamiliar voice. 

“Hey! Watch it!”

Thorny vines retreated back into the earth as the newcomer shot away from the lava monster, still hissing and glaring vehemently, petals twitching in indignance. 

Grillby took one look at the fanged flower and promptly set a small fireball towards it. 

It shot out of the way, only to have the fish medic block the entryway, grabbing onto one of its vines with a clawed hand. 

It squirmed, sending yet another irritated look at them. 

“Look! I'm not trying to hurt you! Let me go!”

“Who are you?”

“I’m- urf- Flowey! Flowey the flower!”

Grillby felt a little sorry for it.

Only a little.

_ “...Why are you here?” _

When it hesitated, the vulkin inched towards it, oblivious of what was going on. The flower let out an ungodly shriek.

“Alright! Alright! D-... The king and queen. They’re real close. They sent me to look around for other monsters.” 

“Asgore? The queen? How’d they get out?”

“How would I know?” Flowey replied sullenly, petals curving inwards in a grimace. 

“I came here looking for Frisk.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ... sans.

He didn’t know how much time had passed.

His head hurt.

His head  _ hurt. _

He shifted with a weak moan, a strangled noise as he tried to burrow deeper into the bed that had seemed to grow much too small for him. The tightness of the muzzle was constant, making it impossible to open his mouth. Fire seemed to burn his limbs, every bone cracking at the slightest movement, he couldn’t help but whimper.

What had they done to him?

They had continued to come in over time, checking things he couldn’t be bothered to understand. No one had come in today, he supposed he didn’t much care anyways. He rubbed his head against a pillow, fevered, he let out a loud whine, eyes shut.

Shivering, he lay there.

Smooth hands cupped his head, stroking gently along the bone. 

The noises he made were miserable.

“Its been awhile, hasn’t it?”

Sans gritted his teeth and moaned, grimacing in pain. The human murmured, tracing a hand along his eye sockets, rubbing the smooth bone.

“...Now that’s more like it… Nice and pretty...”

His hands wandered, sliding along rows of vertebrae that Sans didn’t remember he had, running along a long, smooth, tibia, longer than what should have been possible. He managed to growl weakly, warning him to stop. 

Immediately, the human stopped, returning his hands to Sans’s abnormally long muzzle and lifting his head to look him in the eyes.

“Submit. Give in to me. You’re nothing now, nothing but a trophy.”

Sans could feel something deep in him fighting for control, to resist, bite. He shoved at the hand, ignoring the pain as he snapped his teeth as much as possible. The human held him again, tightening his grip on the horns that grew from the back of his skull and pushing him back, pinning his head to the sheets. He squirmed in discomfort. 

_ “Stop fighting.  _ You’re mine now… Or rather, someones, when we sell you.”

Sans whimpered, not liking the sound of his voice. He had to get free, away, find Pap, Frisk...

“It hurts, doesn’t it? It’ll ease if you just obey… Look at yourself. You're not  _ you  _ anymore, there's nothing left for you.”

Sans struggled against the grip. However, his movements were feeble and weak as he grew frightened, scared of what he might do to him. Slowly, his struggles ceased, he lay his head in the human’s hands, eyes blue crescents in their sockets as they watched him. 

“...There we go… That wasn’t too hard now, was it?”

Sans gave a final whimper of defeat, his entire body going limp and his eyes sliding shut.

Hands immediately were all over him, tightening his muzzle, attaching what seemed to be another collar around his neck and locking chains to his limbs.

“Get him ready. Set the cage outside. I've gotta deal with that pig of a man.”

Sans ignored him, tucking his head between his front limbs submissively. 

He just wanted to go home. 

 

Sans struggled, threw his head back as they dragged him across the hall, shoved and tugged into a cage. He slammed his muzzled jaws against the bars, screaming and fighting as soon as the chains were released. The cage rocked with the force of his struggles.

Something landed across his back and he reared up in surprise, hitting the top of the cage. 

Another blow rained down on his neck, then his shoulder. 

“Heel!”

At the same time, the chain attached to his collar was yanked forwards, bringing him to lie on his sternum. A hand landed on his muzzle along with the tip of a riding crop, forcing him down as he tried to struggle to his feet. The crop was rapped against the side of his snout and he stopped, lying down submissively.

The human moved away, walking towards the door that opened.

He stared, watched as another group of humans walked in, this time, flanking one dressed in colorful garments. He began to growl lowly.

They neared the cage, a snap of the crop against his muzzle and he was silent, still as gloved hands were guided to his head. The hand slid down the length of his head, fingers carelessly scratching at the polished bone, hooking on serrated teeth, catching on leather straps. 

“...My, aren’t you a pretty one?”

The hands drew away and the two humans pulled away, talking. 

Sans lowered his head, long neck craned, his eye sockets dark and unseeing as his snout pointed towards the small gap between his paws. He didn’t open his eyes, even when the cage was tugged, sliding as he was brought away. 

 

When he opened his eyes again, he was in an unfamiliar place. 

Uncaged, he was chained to a cold stone platform, chains so tight and short he was unable to move even slightly in any direction. 

He panicked.

Growing desperate and terrified, he yanked at the chains, tossing his head and pulling on the chains holding his front legs down.

The sound of footsteps and the click of claws on wood was what made him stop panicking. He froze, neck craning as much as possible at the sound. After a few seconds, a yellow scaled paw reached tentatively for his snout. 

 


End file.
